As we begin zooming towards the Christmas season, longs lines at the retail stores and California freeway-style mashups in the local parking lots, lets take a look at some of the cool new phones coming this holiday season.

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Well...I'm back. For a little while anyways. As many of you have probably noticed, our website has gone through some changes over the past week or two. Some of the changes are major while some you may not have noticed.

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Close up of the new Apple iPod Touch that was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Just when you thought Apple was done pitching neat little gadgets at consumers (cough cough, iPhone), it seems they've come up with something better. Maybe a realization that iPod technology had fallen alittle behind or just trying to recover from the fiasco surrounding the iPhone release, Apple has announced some new iPods.

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As some of you may have noticed, I've been out of the loop for several weeks. After three weeks of military training, I'm back to work...for now. It seems that many Indiana soldiers, myself included, will soon be heading to Iraq. Simply the thought of leaving home for a year or more makes me physically ill; I get butterflies in my stomach, my pulse races alittle and I feel a warm rush throughout my entire body. While not the ideal getaway, there will be plenty of technology available to help me keep in touch with my family.

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If you've kept up on the tech blog, you'll know that I have reviewed the LG enV VX9900, the newest Blackberry 8830 and now I'm nibbling on the sweet new LG Chocolate. I'm going to get a new phone...there's no doubt about it but which one should I get? You choose.

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Do you know how much technology is involved in providing the Chronicle-Tribune website to the 80,000 plus monthly viewers? Until last week, neither did I. As we transition from our former owner to the Paxton Media Group, we've seized the opportunity to review what we do with our website, how we do it and who does it. What a gigantic undertaking!

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In my quest to be able to be truly mobile and able to access the web anytime and anywhere...I
have finally come close to the holy grail. My goal has been to narrow my gadgets down (which is been hard to do) to one or two that are small in size but do everything I need them to do in both my work and personal life.

The first was to find a personal computer that was small, portable and powerful...enter Samsung's Q1 UMPC. Next was to find a phone that worked great as a phone, pda, and would work in tandem with my Q1 as a modem...enter the Blackberry 8830. With the 8830 Tethering service I am now able to link up via a usb cable and access the internet on my Q1. The speed is only 115 kps, but being able to go anywhere and be on the web - it is better then nothing. There is an option of being able to tether via Bluetooth, but it is hit and miss and that is the only complaint I have.

Tethering the 8830 and the Q1 is a piece of cake. I have, in my car, a dash mount for my Q1 and all I do is connect the USB cord to the Q1 and 8830 - hit the dial up link and ...bingo... I am surfing the web.

Now, there is a month fee of $15.00 for tethering - but to me it is worth it to access the web anytime and anywhere.

As I wrap up my review of the newest Blackberry 8830 from Verizon Wireless, I find myself comparing this device to the finest first class seat aboard an airliner. This device not only looks professional but it comes with a myriad of features to help me stay connected both personally and professionally. So read on as I take my mobile business from coach to first class.

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Blackberry 8830

I am a huge fan of Smart Phones. I have owned the Treo 650, the XV 6700, and now the Blackberry 8830. Only having the 8830 for only a couple days, here are my out of the box first impressions. It looks very much like the Motorola Q or the Blackjack. When it comes to form factor, it feels comfortable in your hand and you do not feel like you are going to drop it when you are on a call. The only time I do feel like I am going to drop it is when I am pulling it out of the holster to answer a call. I do wish that smart phones would include side grippers because you do not want to drop and bust your $300 - $400 phone as you are pulling it out to place or answer a call.

I really appreciate that they did not place a ton of buttons on the side of the phone. That is the problem with many a phone, when you answering a call you accidently push one of the side buttons that either turns on your speaker phone, camera, etc. The 8830 has only 2 buttons on the side...one for voice dialing and the other for volume.

The screen is very very nice. It has a very crisp and clear look to it. The 8830 has two levels of brightness so your battery life can be extended. For those use to the blackberry or Treo keyboards, this has the same look and feel. The only complaint I have is at night the backlight on the keyboard is not bright enough to see the keyboard - this makes it hard for an 44 year old man to make calls at night.

They also have included a small track ball that lights up when in use right above the keyboard and is used to scroll around the various programs instead of using a stylus. I was not sure I would like this little track ball, but the more I use it the more I like that fact that I do not have to pull out the stylus to get to the various programs on the phone.

Copyright 2007, The Associated Press

Apple and AT&T (the former Cingular Wireless) announced that the new iPhone should be available to consumers on Friday, June 29th. Reviews from popular blogging sites are mixed; some say 'yes' and others are saying 'no way'.

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